Another clean sheet. That near gaffe came from nowhere but was possibly symptomatic of the pressure we were under? Inevitably, Joe & co were not going to let the ball cross the line though - speaks volumes for the teamwork ethic

Judging by Coops' reaction (which was highly entertaining!) Jojo may be getting his gloves laundered?

I think MC gets frustrated by the fact that we criticise him/his style when that sort of thing happens-but in reality its the last thing he wants the players to do-and is happy to advocate the 'hoof it 'philosophy when needed.

as he would say-its decision making .making wrong decisions occurs more easily when you are young and tired-but some decisions are more obvious than others-what was Thomas thinking there !!

is the bubble about to burst and all this pass from the back stuff going to be abandoned in favour of much less risky (but point accumulating )kick and run.

is the philosophy that goalkeepers and defenders need to have the ball control like sterling just a fashion item that managers adopted to show they understood the 'modern game' when in reality-its all pretty ineffective ?

HiI find it interesting that such a lot of teams have started to use this new rule, BUT a change in the rules from a few years back seems to have been ignored.A goal may be scored direct from the KO, I wouldn't expect it to be tried very often, but if during addeed time your opponents score a goal which costs you points (2pts if it brings the match back to a draw, 1pt if you were drawing and are now losing) wouldn't this be an ideal time to have go.It may go in and reverse the situation or you have got the ball back up to their end and if your players have got a move on they can be challenging for control and a better chance of scoring than the usual KO backwards.

I did see it done once ,at a college game, when the player taking the KO after the half time break noticed that the opposition goalie was still sorting out where to put his water bottle and towel. I suppose strictly speaking that was a ref error as they are supposed to check that both teams are ready before blowing.

Keepers & coaches have a 'new toy'. Passing in the penalty area from a goal kick. Seemingly, most want to have a play with the toy but the keepers for 'pass from the back' teams are finding it hard to decide when to 'play' and when to kick to wings or throw. My guess is that it will take a few more weeks to settle down but I totally get that the reasoning is to invite forwards to press and therefore leave gaps behind to exploit on the pass & counter

Personally, I'd like to see the keepers encouraged to decide when is a good time, and to bring back bowling & throwing which tend to be more accurate. Then again, there's a reason why I'm a keyboard warrior not a coach!

For the record, having conceded 5 goals in 8 league games, just 1 was down to an errant keeper pass despite several near misses. That contrasts with numerous keeper gaffs and daft penalties in the previous 2 seasons by mid September. So maybe we're fretting over nothing and forgetting the back to front moves that do work and the frustration of teams who cannot get possession in our five 1-0 wins?

It was a very good interview and I agree - he and the other young players who have been on show have been bright intelligent and articulate. That has got to help in getting ideas across on the training ground and during games and in their overall development.

Coops is a Yorkshire miserabilist with a typically dry (to the point of parched) sense of humour. He has a laugh, sure, but rarely at his own expense. I like his direct approach and openness and I'm sure that works with most players who just want to know how to play in his teams and what he wants. Anyway, we DV doesn't pay him to be a comedian and its points on the board that counts and MC is doing well on that score. Three more points today will be fine even if there are no jokes.

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